by Laura Hart
“Yes,” she replied gamely. “Let’s go.”
They pushed through the doors and immediately saw a crowd of people milling around waiting to greet arriving family and friends. Max looked over the area and then broke into a grin and waved. “Davka!” he called.
Sadie saw a man who had to be Max’s brother returning the wave and starting forward. My god, was all of his family tall and gorgeous?
“Max!” the brother exclaimed as he reached them and the two brothers hugged each other warmly. The brother said something brief to Max in Russian and then turned to Sadie and smiled—that same killer smile as Max’s.
Max took control of the situation. “Sadie, I’d like to present my brother, David.” He accented the second syllable, making it Da-veed. “David, this is the most important woman in my life, Sadie Duval.”
David put out his hand to Sadie and said in perfect English, “I’m very happy to meet you, Sadie. Welcome to St. Petersburg.”
They Could Pose for Their Own Advertising
The drive to the family home in the heart of St. Petersburg took about an hour, but finally David pulled the car into the inner courtyard of a beautifully restored baroque building and then hit a button and a garage door opened.
“Here we are,” Max announced with a smile. “Get ready to be hugged.”
For Sadie, it was suddenly the moment of truth. It had been great fun to sit in Galveston and talk about Max’s home in St. Petersburg, but this was reality. She was getting out of a car and about to go up and meet Max’s family.
David and Max managed to get most of the luggage between them, and Sadie grabbed her own carry-on and the two laptop carriers. An elevator took them up to the fourth floor, which was the top one and which was called the third floor here. Sadie remembered that difference in naming floors from her earlier travels in Europe.
When the elevator doors opened, they were in a beautifully decorated foyer. Tall double doors of the apartment stood wide open, and a lady of approximately sixty was standing in the doorway smiling. She moved forward into the outer foyer and hugged Max closely, murmuring something that Sadie couldn’t understand.
Then the older woman stepped back, and Max made the introductions. “Mama, this is Sadie Duval. Sadie, this is my mother, Vera Vasilyevna.”
“How do you do, Mrs. Orlov,” said Sadie with a polite smile. The older lady, who was still smiling broadly, replied, “Welcome to our home, Sadie. We’re all delighted that you’ve come.” She hugged her as best she could considering Sadie was still holding the two laptops and then motioned them all into the foyer of the apartment.
“Where are Papa and Anna?” asked Max, looking around.
“They’re on their way. They had a late afternoon meeting, but they should be here anytime.”
“Are we both in my room?” asked Max with an inquiring look at his mother.
“Whatever you’d like, Maka.”
After the bags were in the room and David had tactfully retreated, Max turned to Sadie and wrapped her in his arms. “I finally have you on my home turf.” He held her close and kissed her deeply. “You taste even better on this side of the Atlantic.”
“I probably taste icky.”
“Never.”
He started to kiss her again, but she pushed him back slightly. “Why did your mother call you Maka?”
“It’s an intimate nickname for Maxim. I’m sure you’ll be hearing it again. We Russians are big on nicknames.” He started to kiss her again, but she was still talking.
“Your mother seems very nice.”
“Well, I think she is, but I’m rather prejudiced.” This time he kissed her before she could continue talking. “Do you want to change before we rejoin them or are you all right?” They’d changed that morning in the lounge at the Frankfurt airport, so they were fairly fresh.
“I’m fine for now.”
“Good. Let’s go back out and see if the rest of the family has turned up yet.” He took her hand and led her back down the hallway until they reached the living room.”
“Maka!” Sadie turned in time to see an attractive woman of about her own age hurl herself into Max’s arms. She hugged and kissed him as if he’d been gone for years.
“Anushka, you’re being rude,” scolded Max with an indulgent smile. He turned her towards Sadie and said, “Sadie, this brat is my sister, Anna. Anna, Sadie Duval.”
Anna threw her arms around Sadie with almost the same enthusiasm as she’d just shown for her big brother. “I’m so glad he’s brought you. We’ll leave him behind and go have some girl fun.” She threw Max a challenging grin, and Sadie took an instant liking to this wonderful creature.
“Did you bring Papa with you?” Max asked his sister.
“She did,” came a deep voice from behind them, and Sadie turned to see a tall, distinguished-looking man with grey hair. Max quickly hugged the man and then said, “Papa, I’d like you to meet Sadie Duval. Sadie, this is my father, Alexsander Ivanovich.”
“How do you do, Mr. Orlov.”
“How do you do, my dear. I see you’re every bit as charming as my son told us you were.” He shook hands with her, holding onto her hand for a moment as he looked at her intently.
Now that Sadie had met the whole family, she could answer her own question from earlier. Yes, all of the family was tall and gorgeous. My god, they could pose for their own advertising!
“Why don’t we move to the table?” suggested Max’s mother, and everyone did exactly that.
Max had warned her that Russians liked to make toasts, and indeed, as soon as drinks had been poured, his father stood up and raised his glass. “To homecomings,” he said, nodding towards his firstborn with a big smile, “and to beautiful guests.”
Sadie was a bit embarrassed, but she murmured “Thank you” as the whole family raised their glasses in the direction of Max and Sadie and then drank.
David followed his father. “To the business and personal pleasures of Texas!” They drank again.
Max raised his glass. “To the unmatchable pleasure of reuniting with family, and to Sadie, who so graciously agreed to accompany me on this trip.”
Again, they drank, and then Max leaned over and gave Sadie a glancing kiss, and everyone laughed. It was clearly a family that enjoyed itself, and Sadie felt relieved. She’d not known what awaited her in St. Petersburg, but Max obviously came from a warm and loving family. “Thank you,” she murmured again to no one in particular.
The cook entered carrying a large platter which she set in the middle of the table. Sadie saw ‘pancakes’ surrounding a mound of caviar and various accompaniments.
“I hope you like blinis and caviar, Sadie,” said Max’s mother with a smile.
“Don’t put her on the spot, Verushka,” said Max’s father, but Sadie hurried to assure them that she was more than fine with the dish. Max took a plate and put a couple pancakes on it and then added a large spoonful of caviar. “What would you like with it?” he asked Sadie.”
“A little bit of everything, please.”
Max finished fixing her plate and then put it down in front of her. He then passed the serving spoon to his mother, who fixed herself a plate, and then the other family members followed suit. Max had showed Sadie how to fix blini when they’d visited a Russian restaurant, so she took one, folded it in quarters, and then put caviar, sour cream, a bit of onion and minced egg, and a sprig of dill.
The contents of the platter disappeared quickly, and the empty plate was replaced with a large soup tureen which was placed in front of Max’s mother. She ladled out a rich borscht into smaller bowls and then topped each with a dollop of sour cream and some chives. A plate of little buns was also placed on the table, and Max explained to Sadie that it was traditional to eat the two together.
The borscht was hearty and filling, and Sadie was already beginning to understand why Max had warned her about filling up ahead of time.
The tureen was removed, and the next course of beef stroga
noff was carried in. Sadie wondered what would happen if someone didn’t like sour cream. There was also an eggplant salad and a basket of wonderful bread. Sadie was definitely running out of room, something which didn’t happen often, but she was thoroughly enjoying the meal, not only for the food but for the stream of lively chatter that accompanied it.
Once again, the dishes were cleared away, but soon a beautiful multi-layer honey cake appeared, and once again Max’s mother did the honors and cut pieces for everyone. As everything before it had been, it was rich and delicious, and even as Sadie savored the taste, she wondered if she’d be able to move after such an ample dinner.
Finally, the dessert dishes were removed and coffee served. Max’s father also offered more vodka, and Sadie felt obliged to accept one glass.
“So, how did you and Max meet?” asked Anna, her face a picture of playful curiosity as she leaned towards them across the table.
“I’ve already told you that, Anushka,” replied Max with a small shake of his head.
“No, you haven’t.”
Max looked at her a moment and then relented. “Do you want to tell her or shall I?” he asked Sadie. In the end, they both told the story, interrupting each other with details and embellishments.
“Ah, how romantic,” Anna sighed. “You saved Sadie.”
“I saved her belongings,” said Max with a small shrug. “It’s not quite the same thing.”
“Oh, yes, it was,” Sadie corrected him. “My whole life was in that bag—my tablet, my phone, everything.” She turned and smiled at Max.
“Luckiest save I ever made,” he replied with a wink at her.
“I’ll have to try having my bag stolen,” declared Anna with a look of fun on her face.
“I doubt that Dmitry would like to hear you saying that.” Dmitry was her boyfriend of several years, and there’d even been occasional talk of marriage.
Anna stuck her tongue out at Max, who frowned slightly at her but then changed his mind and gave a small laugh instead. “Anya never quite finished learning her manners,” he remarked to Sadie as if in explanation for something.
Sadie looked puzzled. “Is it Anna or Anya?”
“Both,” replied Anna. “Anya is a nickname.”
“But I heard him call you Anushka earlier, so I thought that was the nickname. This might be confusing.”
Max’s father joined the conversation. “Russians make many nicknames from a single name, and there’s a method to it, with tiny differences in meanings. And you’re right, it can be very confusing to non-Russian speakers.”
“So, what are some of the nicknames for Max?”
“Max is the main nickname,” answered Max. “Remember that my name is really Maxim. I’m also sometimes called Maka, which is the beginning of my name plus ‘ka,’ which is frequently used to make close nicknames. My name is so short that there aren’t as many options as with longer names.”
Sadie giggled. “I could probably come up with a few nicknames for you.”
“I don’t doubt it,” he answered, shaking his head.
Sadie was surprised at how long the family stayed at the table talking and laughing. It was a warm gathering, and she felt welcome, but finally, after ten o’clock, it broke up.
“Come, mishka, it’s been a long day. We should go to bed.”
Sadie thanked his mother for the wonderful dinner, said good night to everyone, and followed him down the hallway to his room. Max closed and locked the door, then took her in his arms. “I feel like dancing tonight I’m so happy. Having you here with me means everything.”
“Why is it different from being somewhere else?”
“Because my whole relationship with you has taken place somewhere else. Tonight, I have the woman I love in my home city with my family, and it feels very right.” He kissed her and then started undressing her.
“You have a really great family,” she replied. “It feels really different for me when there are more people. I’ve always been the only child, so tonight was really special.”
Max continued undressing her, stopping to caress the newly uncovered parts.
“I’d like to shower before we go to bed,” Sadie said.
“That can be arranged.” Max pulled her towards the bed, where he sat down on the edge so he could take off the final piece of her clothes, her tiny panty. He looked her over hungrily, feeling his arousal against his trousers. Sadie noticed the bulge and touched it with a tiny giggle. “I hope this can behave itself in the shower.”
“And if it can’t?”
“Then it can’t come.” She giggled again, and Max grabbed her and held her close, her nakedness soft against his still-clothed body. She started unbuttoning his shirt.
“Are you in a hurry?” he asked, nibbling on her neck.
“Yes. I’m getting cold.”
Max stood up and quickly took off his clothes, wrapped Sadie in his shirt, and then went into the bathroom to start the shower. “Come here, mishka. I’ll keep you warm until the water’s nice and hot.” He wrapped his arms around her again and couldn’t help but notice her eyelids drooping a bit. It had been a tiring day for both of them, so maybe tonight’s activities needed to be streamlined.
He took the shirt off her again and the two of them got into the shower, but rather than what he might have liked to do, he started washing her down efficiently. He could see she was definitely fading, so he quickly washed himself too and then took a towel and wrapped her in it.
“Mmm.” Sadie snuggled into the soft bed and watched as Max closed up everything and then joined her.
“Your first night in Russia,” murmured Max, nuzzling her ear. “We should make it a good one.”
“Mmm.” She was smiling, but it was a sleepy smile, and as much as Max wanted to make love to her, he decided against it. Instead, he wrapped his arm around her and pressed their two bodies together.
“Comfortable?” he asked, intensely aware of her fragrant softness.
“Yes.” It was barely audible.
He kissed her forehead and savored her nearness. “Good night,” he said quietly. When there was no answer, he whispered it again, but his only answer was the sound of gentle breathing.
Rather than be disappointed, he hugged her even closer to himself and rejoiced. He had his wonderful Sadie, the feisty little Texan who had completely captured his heart, here in his own home, and he had very special plans for their time here.
He fell asleep with a smile on his face.
I Want to Share All of It with Her
The next morning Sadie was awake early and ready to go see everything. She peppered Max with questions while they were dressing until finally he threatened to take her back to bed to keep her mouth busy.
Breakfast was an international affair, with Russian, Swiss, and American foods all making an appearance. Max’s mother sat with them, but his father and Anna had gone to work, and David had returned to Moscow unexpectedly to handle a problem.
“What are you going to do today?” asked Vera Vasilyevna as she poured herself more tea.
“I’m going to give Sadie an overall tour of the city, and then another day we can look at specifics that interest her. We’ll go down to the embankment to start and then see what happens.”
His mother smiled at Sadie. “Did you sleep well, Sadie?”
“Yes, ma’am. That bed is really comfortable.”
“Is there any juice in the kitchen?” asked Max.
“I’ll get you some,” volunteered his mother. Juice wasn’t normally served on Russian breakfast tables, but he knew that Sadie would like some.
“Papa had your car serviced so it would be ready for you,” his mother said as she put a pitcher of juice and two glasses on the table.
Max smiled appreciatively. “Did he say anything about my schedule with him while I’m here?”
“No. He said you two could work it out this evening.”
Max nodded and poured some juice for Sadie, who was happily eating
more blini, this time with jam.
A half an hour later they were ready to go. “Do you have your camera?” Max asked.
“Of course.” Sadie tapped the large bag she was toting, one very similar to the canvas one Max had saved for her that first fateful day.
“Be sure you bring a sweater or light jacket, too,” he added. “Even in June it can get nippy.”
Sadie tapped her bag again. “All taken care of.”
“Chocolate Tootsie Pops?”
Sadie gave him a mock haughty look. “If you’re trying to stump me, Mr. Orlov, you’ll have to work harder than that.”
Max laughed, looked around to be sure they were alone, and then gave her bottom a playful swat. “Behave yourself.”
They took the elevator down to the ground level where Max opened a different garage bay than they’d used the night before. In it was a gleaming silver metallic Mercedes Roadster.
Sadie looked at it appreciatively. “Nice car. Am I going to find out that I’ve been mispronouncing ‘Mercedes’ all my life, too?” She was of course referring to their early disagreement about the pronunciation of the word ‘Porsche,’ and it wasn’t lost on Max, who chuckled.
“I hope not, but they’re both German words, so who knows.”
He started towards the passenger side, but Sadie opened the door herself and hopped in, so, with a smiling shrug, Max got into the driver’s seat.
It was only a short drive to the embankment, where Max turned and drove slowly along the waterfront. “This is the Neva River,” he started, but Sadie was busy staring at something else. “Oh my god! That’s the Hermitage, isn’t it?”
“Yes. We can come back another day and go inside if you’d like.”
“Can you imagine living in a place that size? You’d never even see each other. How many rooms does it have?”
“I don’t remember exactly, but I know it’s over a thousand.”
The beautiful green, white and gold building was the Winter Palace and had been the primary residence of the Romanovs until the revolution. Today, in addition to sections still preserved as the palace, it housed the Hermitage Museum and Art Gallery, including some three million paintings, the world’s largest collection.
